No, the new rental inspection law will not solve Syracuse’s lead problem [Video]

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A vote on a rental inspection law was delayed again Monday, thanks, in part, to a recently generated debate about lead paint. Despite claims to the contrary, however, the law would have little to no impact on the city’s lead paint problem.

The law would require inspections on single and two-family rentals citywide. Its sponsor and a city lawyer said it was never intended to address lead paint concerns.

“Everybody in Syracuse is well aware there’s a lead issue because of the aging housing stock,” said Meghan McLees Craner, a city attorney. “To address that, we will need much more comprehensive legislation and efforts from the city and the county. [This law] does not begin to touch the lead paint issue.”

So why are we even talking about lead?

A recent letter to the editorin The Post-Standard by Mike Stanton, president of the Southeast University Neighborhood Association, argued the registry law could lower lead poisoning rates in Syracuse. A similar …